Ruehleia bedheimensis Galton, 2001 a

Sues, Hans-Dieter & Schoch, Rainer R., 2025, Synopsis of the Triassic reptiles from Germany, Fossil Record 28 (2), pp. 411-483 : 411-483

Ruehleia bedheimensis Galton, 2001 a

Holotype.

MB. R. 4718 (‘ Individual 1 ’), partial postcranial skeleton comprising cervicals 2 to 10, 15 dorsals, partial sacrum, 19 caudals, fragments of vertebrae, numerous rib fragments, hemal arches, right scapula and coracoid, left scapula, both humeri, right radius and ulna, parts of both manus, both ilia, ischia, and pubes, both femora and tibiae, right astragalus, and distal tarsal (inventory kindly provided by D. Schwarz).

Type locality.

Grosser Gleichberg near Römhild, southwest of Hildburghausen, Hildburghausen district, Thuringia.

Type horizon.

Top of Arnstadt Formation, Middle Keuper Subgroup. Age: Late Triassic (Norian: Sevatian).

Referred material.

MB. R. 4719 (‘ Individual 4 ’), includes a right ilium and partial left ilium, both ischia, both femora and tibiae. ‘ Individuals 2, 3, and 5 ’ are sets of separately numbered postcranial bones (D. Schwarz, pers. comm.).

Diagnosis.

Distinguished by the following combination of features: presence of accessory lamina separating chonos from postzygapophysis; mid-dorsal neural spines higher than length of base but less than 1.5 times length of base; transverse width of first distal carpal greater than 120 % of transverse width of second distal carpal; presence of sulcus across medial end of first distal carpal; absence of well-developed brevis fossa with sharp margins on ventral surface of postacetabular process of ilium; minimum transverse width of pubic apron less than 40 % of width across iliac peduncles of ilium; femur in lateral view with longitudinal axis that is weakly bent with offset of less than 10 °; anterior trochanter positioned level with femoral head; fourth trochanter symmetrical with sharp proximal and distal corners; posteromedial margin of subrectangular astragalus forming moderately sharp corner; and astragalus with dorsally facing horizontal shelf forming part of fibular facet ( Schaeffer 2024).

Comments.

The holotype and referred material were originally identified as Plateosaurus plieningeri (Lang and F. Huene 1952) . Galton (2001 a) noted several differences in the postcranial skeleton and proposed a new taxon, Ruehleia bedheimensis for the reception of the material from the Grosser Gleichberg (see also Galton 2001 b). Schaeffer (2024 a) supported this identification and recovered Ruehleia outside of Plateosauridae in his phylogenetic analysis.

References.

Lang and F. Huene (1952), Galton (2001 a, b), Schaeffer (2024).